f1fandomcom-20200222-history
2017 Chinese Grand Prix
|poletime = 1:31.678 |fastestlap = 1:35.378 |fastestlapdriver = Lewis Hamilton |fastestlapnation = GBR |fastestlapteam = |fastestlapnumber = 44 |winner = Lewis Hamilton |winnernation = GBR |winnerteam = |second = Sebastian Vettel |secondnation = GER |secondteam = |third = Max Verstappen |thirdnation = NED |thirdteam = }} The 2017 Chinese Grand Prix (officially the 2017 Formula 1 Heineken Chinese Grand Prix) was the second race of the 2017 Formula One season, and the 14th Chinese Grand Prix overall. It was held between 7 April and 9 April 2017. In qualifying, Lewis Hamilton took his sixth pole position at the Shanghai International Circuit, with Sebastian Vettel joining him on the front row for the second time in a row. Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas was third, with Vettel's teammate Kimi Räikkönen fourth. In the race, Hamilton made a good start, and stayed comfortably ahead of the field for the entire race, always able to put on an extra burst of speed when necessary. Vettel survived a badly-timed pit stop, and was able to pull within 10 seconds of Hamilton, but never seriously threatened the lead. driver Max Verstappen just held off teammate Daniel Ricciardo for the final spot on the podium. __TOC__ Background Previously in Australia, Sebastian Vettel took his first ever victory for since the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix, putting him at the top of the Drivers' Championship on 25 points, the first time a Ferrari driver leads the championship since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. The Australian Grand Prix polesitter Lewis Hamilton finished second ahead of teammate Valtteri Bottas, and Kimi Räikkönen and Max Verstappen filled out the top five. Vettel's win and Räikkönen's fourth-place finish were enough to put Ferrari in the lead of the Constructors' Championship, with 37 points, four points ahead of . Because Daniel Ricciardo did not finish the race, only got ten points thanks to Verstappen's fifth-place finish, putting them third in the championship. Coincidentally, only Felipe Massa finished in the points for ; his sixth-place finish put them fourth in the standings, with eight points. took fifth place in the standings, with seven points. Like the race in 2016, supersoft, soft and medium tyres were confirmed for the 2017 race. As with the Australian Grand Prix, Pirelli declared that every driver must have seven sets of supersofts, four sets of softs, and two sets of mediums, since the drivers did not make their decisions before pre-season testing. With Vettel's win, there were predictions that Ferrari could become a title challenger alongside Mercedes. Vettel responded: "...we've also made a leap forward in terms of engine power, so we don't need to hide. Yes, Mercedes has a very strong package - you see that in qualifying where I believe that they are still a bit ahead. But a race is always a different matter. I would say that we've been slightly faster - and maybe you can make a difference as well." Despite 's confidence that Pascal Wehrlein would compete after he withdrew from the first race due to not enough training, they later determined that he will not participate at the Chinese Grand Prix, with Antonio Giovinazzi taking his place again. Entry list Practice Overview FP1 FP2 The second practice session was cancelled, due to the misty weather, meaning there was no way the medical helicopter could land at the hospital. FP3 Practice Results Qualifying Q1 Q2 Q3 Qualifying Results ** Giovinazzi was given a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. *† Grosjean and Palmer were each given five-place grid penalties for not slowing down enough under double-waved yellow flags in Q1. Grid Source Race Report Results Milestones *Fernando Alonso's 275th race start (276th entry). *Lewis Hamilton's third career Grand Chelem. He has now won a race in each of his 11 seasons in F1. Standings after race Notes Category:Grand Prix articles Category:Chinese Grand Prix Category:2017 Grands Prix